Descent
by q-uileutes
Summary: "Paul listened to the forest with a dry expression. The sounds of a happy wolf was already beginning to annoy him, a small sneak peek of what was to come for the rest of the night. "Fuck." he muttered." The cheeky story of how Paul Lahote set up his best furry companion friend and a shy, plain dork, and how he came to woefully regret his one moment of charity. Rated T, for Paul.


**A/N:** I originally uploaded this on my one-shot imprint series, but figured it would get better views here, so here it is! Here's a cheeky one-shot of my take on the classic imprinting between Kim and Jared. Enjoy! :-))

* * *

 **DESCENT**

"Jare-"

 _"SHHHHHHHH!"_

Paul rolled his eyes for the fourteenth time in a single hour.

"Ja-"

 _"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

"JARED!"

Paul had been patient for too long. Annoyance was beginning to bubble up inside him and he found himself wanting to rake his claws across his best friend's face.

"Jare." Paul sighed, looking at the wide-eyed boy next to him with exasperation.

"Don't you think she would be here by now if she walks this way?" Paul slumped against the tree and ran a hand through his dark, newly cut hair.

Jared shrugged.

"She walks home this way- _I think_." Jared muttered, his exceptionally sharp eyes peeled back for any sign of the stunning goddess he'd laid eyes on in class.

" _You think._ " Paul rolled his eyes again. He may as well just keep them rolled all the way back into his head. His best friend was an idiot.

Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote had gone back to school three days ago, after two weeks of missed school. Both were on edge the whole day, and it was their very last class that turned everything onto its toes.

* * *

As usual, Jared slumped down in his seat, paying no attention to anyone around him. Paul sat right behind, his hood draped on his head and pulled over his ears, in an attempt to muffle out the every sound that bounced off the floors and walls of the tiny classroom.

The bell rang shrilly and Jared grit his teeth at the piercing sound that made his head rattle. His fists clenched and his body convulsed.

He had spent too much time inside- he needed out.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his deskmate tense and shy away from his trembling body.

 _Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Can't let anyone see. Can't let anyone see. Can't let anyone see._

The words were bouncing off the walls in his mind, making his head pound with pain.

The teacher began to drone on about some stupid math terms, before her eyes shifted to Paul and Jared, widening in surprise when they both appeared in class after a two week disappearance.

"Paul? Jared?"

Paul didn't bother to raise his head, only grunting in acknowledgement. Jared peered his eyes up from his slumped over position, hoping he looked somewhat mentally sane.

"Take your notes, boys." the teacher took pity on the two boys who looked positively tortured.

"Paul." Jared hissed, turning around and poking his friend's head with his hand. Paul grunted.

"You got a pencil?" Jared knew Paul wouldn't have answered, even if he did own a pencil. Sighing, he pat his friend's head reassuringly.

Jared turned his head to his deskmate, whispering quietly.

"Can I borrow a pencil?"

The person behind him tensed at his low voice, digging their fingers into their pencil case and handing him a pencil quietly.

"Thanks." Jared mumbled, his eyes finally meeting with his desk-mate's.

Jared inhaled sharply and began to tremble, his eyes widening comically, refusing to blink.

Beautiful did not even begin to describe the absolutely _stunning_ girl sitting just inches away from him. Her skin was a russet bronze, the sunlight streaming through the cracks of the blinds and bathing her skin in its golden rays. Her nose had a gentle, light curve, just a bit different from the trademark Quileute nose. Her eyes, perfectly dark and rich, were deep-set and framed by unusually long and naturally curled lashes. Jared thinks that her eyes would smoulder if they reflected the light of a bonfire. Her hair, dark, wispy, and slightly tangled, was strung back into a half-hearted braid. Jared found himself wanting to reach out to her face and twirl a lock of her hair.

 _"Beautiful."_ Jared breathed, marvelling at the dark blush that took over the girl's face. She audibly gulped, meeting eyes nervously with the boy who was suddenly enamored with her.

The two stared at one another for a long moment, both taking in each other's appearance.

 _He looks so old now,_ thought the girl vaguely. Just two weeks ago, Jared Cameron was a gangly, goofy boy who had yet to grow into his body. He had been cute back then, everyone able to see the potential for such attractiveness after a few years in his boyish face. No-one expected him to come back and look like a hot twenty year old who spent all his time at the gym. Paul was the same too, though the boy was already quite attractive to begin with.

Jared's eyes broke gaze first, travelling down to the girl's notes and looking over her neat, tidy printing. The name "Kim" was written at the top of the page.

"Kim," Jared whispered, watching _Kim's_ eyes widen slightly. Jared felt a slight thrill in knowing her name. His lips cradled her name carefully, safely.

"Hi, Jared." Kim whispered. Her voice was innocently sultry, whispering lowly so she would not draw attention to herself. She sent Jared a small, nervous smile and averted her gaze back to the front of her class, her pencil gliding smoothly over her paper. Her expression was otherwise serene and calm, but her quickened heartbeat spoke otherwise.

She was scared of him.

"Fuck." Jared muttered, eyes wide and still staring at the enchanting creature sat just inches away from his body, yet miles apart from any sort of sensible contact with him.

At Jared's low cuss, Paul perked up, peeking his eyes from under his hood to find his best friend staring at his deskmate with comically wide eyes.

 _Kim Connweller_ was the girl he was staring at.

Paul's gaze darted between Kim and Jared, watching with narrowed eyes as his best friend continued to moon over an obviously uncomfortable girl.

 _"Jare."_ Paul muttered under his breath, Jared giving the tiniest tilt of his head. He had heard him.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Paul hissed. "If you wanna screw her just say so and bounce."

And apparently, Paul had said the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. Jared began to shake and convulse, which led Paul to cuss under his breath and shoot up from his seat. His large hands grasped Jared's shoulders roughly and attempted to drag him out of the classroom, a heated, whispered conversation ensuing between the two boys. The teacher had attempted to stop them, but she was promptly ignored.  
"Jare!" Paul snarled quietly. Jared, the calmest of all three wolves, would not be the one to blow their cover. "You gotta calm down! Let's go!"  
"No." Jared growled back angrily, glaring venomously at Paul. "I'm staying." His tone was absolute. Paul had never seen Jared's eyes so determined.  
"Why?" Paul couldn't help but shout, making the floor rumble and his classmates jump in fright.  
Jared's jaw clenched and his eyes darted over to Kim, who was watching the exchange with wide, guarded eyes. Jared cringed at the expression Kim wore. She looked like a deer backed up against a rock in the face of a hungry wolf. Although she was endlessly beautiful, he could not watch her like that for any longer.  
Paul's eyes followed Jared's gaze, and widened as he realized what had happened.  
"Oh." Paul said dumbly, with wide eyes and a sheepish expression. "Well, shit." Was his only remark before sitting down in his seat, and shutting up for the rest of class.

* * *

"This is getting ridiculous, Jare." Paul muttered dryly, shifting his rear-end on the stone he was sitting on.

"My ass is going numb. I want to go home." Paul continued to complain, glaring at the back of Jared's head as he peered out from behind the bushes.

"Why the hell am I even here?" Paul whined, silently fuming in his seat and wishing he brought a sandwich or something.

"You need to back me up," Jared explained quietly, eyes still peeled for the girl who had suddenly stolen his heart. "If I say something stupid-"

" _When_ you say something stupid." Paul corrected.

"I need you to back me up, so I don't seem insane."

There was a pause in the conversation, the sounds of the forest filling in the gap before Paul spoke again.

"That stare you gave Connweller already made you look insane behind the eyes, Jare." Paul spoke dryly, a stark difference in comparison to his ass, which was beginning to become damp from the water-sodden tree-trunk he sat on.

"SHIT!" Jared exclaimed, tumbling back into a prickly bush, erupting into another round of swears as the thorns poked at his skin.

"Jesus, Jare." Paul remarked, watching his best friend brush off the last of the thorns and leaves.

"She's right there!" Jared hissed in panic, missing one leaf in his hair but Paul figured he would torture the guy a bit and not mention it.

"I figured! Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Paul exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly and rubbing them against each other excitedly. He was itching to see Jared make a fool of himself in front of his imprint, and then get his ass home onto a perfectly comfy couch.

"Are you kidding me?" Jared cried, his eyes rounding out in panic. "I can't go over there! Forget it, I'll try again tomorrow!"

That had Paul fuming.

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!" Paul grabbed the back of Jared's collar just as he tried to escape, ignoring his best friend's protests and dragging him back, dangerously close to the road where Kim and her friends were walking.

"My ass did not spend an hour and a half getting soaked on a soggy tree stump just for you to chicken out at the last minute." Paul nearly growled. "If you don't talk to her, _I will."_

All too quickly, Jared whirled around and grabbed Paul at the collar, staring up at him with frantic, wide eyes.

" _Can you?!"_

There was a beat of shocked silence before Paul swung a fist at Jared's head, which he dodged easily, but looked indignant.

"Hell no!" Paul exclaimed, somewhat annoyed at himself for even suggesting the idea. "It was a joke, _moron._ Now, come here. Let old Paul tell you some tricks of the trade."

Paul motioned Jared closer, and the poor boy moved closer, fully believing that Paul was about to give him genuine advice.

Instead of heartfelt words of wisdom, Paul's palms slammed Jared nearly ten feet across the forest, and straight onto the road, where his heavy body crashed into an unsuspecting Kim Connweller, who crumbled underneath the weight of Jared's fat ass.

Paul whooped quietly, smirking to himself as he dusted his palms off triumphantly.

" _Bullseye."_ he smirked, ready to bounce away to Emily's place where he could smell a new batch of his favorite strawberry muffins were baking, when a disgusted shriek sounded from the road.

"GET OFF ME, YOU CREEP!"

Paul whirled around to see that Jared hadn't slammed into Kim, rather her friend who was slapping away Jared's hands. A poor girl in a red coat was crushed underneath the weight of Jared's body, and hoisted herself up. Paul winced as he caught Jared's murderous glare that went straight to his face- that boy had eyesight too sharp for Paul's own good.

" _Oops."_ Paul smiled sheepishly, shrugging. "Close enough."

Jared growled lowly at Paul, not loudly enough to be picked up by the girls, but enough for Paul to hear loud and clear.

"Tell me how the rest of your fairy-tale love story plays out on patrol later. I'm getting my strawberry muffin fix." Paul smiled innocently, having the nerve to even wave at Jared's bruised and embarrassed face. _"See ya later, Romeo!"_

And then Paul was gone, his snickers and chants of " _Strawberry muffins with yogurt on the top!"_ slowly fading into the forest, leaving Jared horribly alone.

"Geez, where the hell did you come from, you cre- _Jared Cameron!?"_

Jaredwinced at the high, shocked voice that pierced his eardrum. Luckily for Jared, he had developed a significantly deep cut on his forehead- which he usually wouldn't be so thrilled about, if it weren't for the beautifully concerned voice exclaiming:

"Oh my God, Jared, you're _bleeding!_ "

The next thing Jared was fully aware of was a pair of soft, delicate hands slowly ushering him up to a sitting position, slumping him against a warm body as she did.

Jared peeked open his eyes to meet Kim's, whose were shining with concern and worry.

 _Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God! She's touching me!_

Jared's mind was a frantic mess of nerves, thoughts, and unspoken declarations of love and adoration that was sure to scare the _goddess_ that crouched before him away.

Just to add to the perfection she'd already embodied, Kim laid a sleeve of her sweater to Jared's forehead, effectively stopping the bleeding of the cut, which would only begin to heal later that evening.

"Are you okay?" Kim's fruity breath washed over Jared like a blanket, and when he looked up, Kim's cheeks immediately flared up in an adorable rosy blush.

She had only noticed then how close she had come to the boy she had been crushing on and off of for a good decade.

Jared nodded absently, his eyes focused on the curling lashes of her eyes, and the smooth, olive skin of her face. As if without thought, Jared's free hand slowly came up to cup Kim's cheek. His thumb began to stroke her face quietly as he breathed.

" _Beautiful."_ The large, incredibly tall boy cradled the word so delicately, so lowly, that Kim's heart skipped a beat. She was unable to believe that a boy as strong and as tall as Jared could speak so quietly.

Kim's eyes were wide as Jared continued to study her face. Her lips were a perfect, pink double curve, and he thinks he could spend the rest of his life just swimming contently in her dark brown eyes.

A squeal and quiet giggling slowly brought them both out of their little bubble, and Jared looked away, painfully, to smile sheepishly at the girl who was now sporting a bruised elbow.

"Sorry. I didn't see where I was falling." Jared could see a small, amused smile play on Kim's lips and he had to stop himself from marvelling at the way her face lit up when she smiled.

"Oh! It's completely alright!" The one girl exclaimed, giggling again with her friend. "I'll be okay- _you_ on the other hand…" she started, a mischievous glow appearing in her eyes. Jared wasn't sure whether to be thankful, or horrified.  
"You should get home!" She exclaimed in concern. "You're clearly not well enough to be walking home on your own, so, Kim!"

Jared shifted his gaze to see Kim's eyes grow wide with realization as the wheels began to turn in her head. She bit her pink lip nervously and Jared's eyes darkened the slightest as he began to wonder how it would feel if it were his teeth biting her plump bottom lip.

"You should walk Jared home!" The girl in the red coat egged on, her entire body practically humming with mischief and excitement.  
"Yeah, Kim." the other girl said, already beginning to drag themselves away down the road. "We've gotta get home, and you live just down the road from the Cameron's right?"

Kim opened her mouth, probably to protest, but her two friends had already made their minds up.

"Great! We hope you feel better soon, Jared! Bye Kim!"

"What?!" Kim looked lost, and confused, and to be honest, a little apprehensive as her two friends quickly ran down the road, waving cheekily back at the two and giggling as they went on their way.

There was a beat of silence where Kim's mind was frantically attempting to scramble itself back together into coherency, and Jared's eyes were slowly scanning over Kim's features, trying to commit her defining features to memory. He spotted a long, dark birthmark that ran across her collar-bone, up her neck, and all the way past her right ear that looked like a crack in her skin, and marvelled at the interesting mark as Kim stared after her giggling, devious friends.

Kim sighed deeply, her hands still holding Jared's back steadily as he leant against her grasp. She turned back to the handsome boy she was holding up, and immediately blushed as she met his dark gaze. Her eyes shifted downwards, and then back up again, as she caught a flash of dark green stuck in Jared's thick, dark hair.

 _A leaf,_ she realized.

Without thinking, her hand nimbly reached up and pinched the dark leaf between her fingers, pulling it out of Jared's dark hair and flicking it away, letting it flutter to the road.

Jared blushed as he realized that a leaf was stuck in his hair, watching Kim's mouth quirk up in an amused smile.

 _I must have looked like a dumb-ass_ , he thought.

Kim cleared her throat suddenly, wincing at the awkward silence that followed. Jared could still hear the excited giggling of Kim's friends, who were already a mile down the road.

"So…" Kim began quietly, fiddling with her blood-stained sweater sleeves. "What happened?"

Jared couldn't help but flinch at the blood that stained Kim's hands. His stomach lurched involuntarily at the thought of her own blood riddling her body.

"Uh," Jared started dumbly. Between keeping his eyes peeled back for Kim and trying to ignore Paul's incessant whining, he didn't have time to come up with a backstory.

"I was _jogging._ " he finished weakly. Kim's eyes widened in surprise before quirking an eyebrow.

"In the forest?" her curiosity got the better of her.

"Yup." Jared replied painfully. He was an _idiot._

"Barefoot?"

"Yup."

"In only shorts and a shirt in January?"

"Yup."

Kim looked rightfully skeptical, but nodded anyways.

"Alright then."

Kim looked down and fiddled with her fingers. She had dreamed of being next to Jared like this for years, but now that he was really here, she had no idea of what to do.

"Um," Kim started, Jared perking up at the sound of her voice. "Are you okay to walk?"

"OH!" Jared exclaimed, remembering his bloodied forehead. "Yeah, let's go."

Jared hoisted himself up quickly, Kim following after and turning to Jared in concern.

"You're sure you're okay to walk? It's okay if you aren't." Kim's delightfully brown eyes were wide with concern as she looked up apprehensively at Jared's bleeding forehead.

"Don't worry about me, Kim." He smiled in affection at the worry that laced Kim's face. Could anyone blame him? Her face was just so _adorable_ when her eyebrows scrunched together in worry.

Without a real thought in his mind, still thinking about how cute Kim was, he pulled his shirt off, revealing his bronzed torso and pressed the fabric to his cut.

"See?" Jared smiled obliviously. "All better."

He began to walk down the road slowly, expecting Kim to be following, but stopping shortly when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. He turned around to find Kim looking at the ground, blushing.

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately. He bounded back to where Kim was standing and before he could think, grasped her chin in his large hand. Kim immediately blushed and pulled her chin out of his hand.

"You-" she started awkwardly. "You're shirtless." she said with a small, embarrassed smile.

 _"OH!"_

 _Dumb-ass!_ he thought. _Now she'll think you're a skirt-chasing asshole like Paul._

Jared stammered out an apology, to which Kim stammered out her own. The two laughed in embarrassment, and Kim marveled at the way his eyes crinkled in happiness.

"I can put my shirt back on, if you want." Jared offered genuinely. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Kim shook her head negatively.

"No," she said. "It's, uh, alright." Kim gulped as she smiled up at the tall Quileute boy politely. "I'll manage."

Jared had to hold back a smirk as her eyes darted back and forth between his skin and the road.

"Alriiight." he chirped, grasping Kim's arm gently and pulling her down the road. "Let's go home."

* * *

"Sam!" Paul bounded through the always open doors of Emily's little cottage, calling out the name of his alpha.  
"Paul!" The voice that responded was high, and soft. Paul turned to see Emily smiling welcomingly at him, her floral apron tied tightly around her waist and glossy black hair strung back into a braid.  
"Hey Emily!" Paul exclaimed, a genuine smile stretched across his face. He really did love Emily. As far as Paul knew, she was godsent, and so were her baked goods.  
"I made some of your favorite," she smiled excitedly, leading him into the kitchen. "Strawberry muffins with yogurt on the top. Just how you like them."

Paul's mouth watered at the freshly baked muffins, yogurt piled on top and glistening beautifully.

"I thank the spirits for you everyday, Emily." He laughed, pulling the young Makah woman into a bear hug, grabbing a muffin and taking a big bite of it. His smile was triumphant as he gazed down at the muffin in affection.  
"Thanks, Em!" Paul pressed a slobbery kiss to Emily's hairline, before fighting off her shrieks of protest.  
"Paul! That's gross." she grumbled. Heavy, pounding footsteps sounded through the house and a tall, stern looking man emerged in the kitchen. His resting bitch-face however, softened immediately at the sight of Emily Young.

"Emily." he smiled softly, pulling her for a long, sweet kiss. Emily all but melted into the strong man's arms, kissing back with equal happiness.

"Now that's gross." the moment was ruined by Paul's grumble. Sam sent a dry look to Paul, who in return, sent him a cheeky smile.

"You called for me?" he asked with a grumble, pressing a kiss to the right side of Emily's face, and sitting down at the dinner table across from Paul. Paul nodded eagerly.

"You'll never guess what I did to help Jared out with Kim." Paul launched into the story eagerly, the couple listening apprehensively.

"I think you did him more of a dis-service, Paul." Sam remarked slowly, Emily hiding a snicker behind her floured hands.  
"What do you mean?" Paul laughed. "It was a great tactic."  
"Sure, if you meant to maim the poor girl for the rest of her life." Emily pointed out in a rare, sarcastic tone.  
"Don't worry! Connweller's friend only got a scraped elbow."  
"You hurt her friend?" Sam asked in concern.  
"A small casualty in the war of love." Paul shrugged. "Besides, Kim is probably doting over poor little injured Jared right now. It's a strategic move."

And while Paul kept on insisting that he did Jared a service, and Sam and Emily sending each other skeptical looks, Jared had just pressed a quick kiss to Kim's cheek, before stammering out a goodbye and racing down the road to his own home.

A delighted set of yips and barks resounded in the forest of La Push, and Paul sent the couple a smug look.

 _"See?"_ he drawled. "Paul sure knows how to help his friends."

"The joke's on you, idiot." Sam laughed. "You're the one who has to patrol with the lovestruck kid tonight." Emily snickered at Paul's dreadful expression. "Have fun listening to his thoughts."

Sam and Emily shared an amused laugh, before settling down on the couch to watch a movie.

Paul listened to the forest with a dry expression. The sounds of a happy wolf was already beginning to annoy him, a small sneak peek of what was to come for the rest of the night.

 _"Fuck."_


End file.
